PHYSICS

THERMOMETERS
FORM 5

THERMOMETERS

Thermocouple
Mercury Alcohol

The above diagram shows a liquid-in-glass thermometer. The liquid may either be mercury or
alcohol.
 PHYSICS
THERMOMETERS
FORM 5

Mercury Thermometers
1. Mercury is silver in colour and therefore easily seen.
2. Mercury is a metal and therefore conducts heat better.
3. If the thermometer is broken the mercury is poisonous.
4. The mercury expands readily when heated (sensitive to temperature changes)
5. At low temperatures the mercury readily freezes and therefore is not used for measuring
low temperatures.
6. Since mercury has a high boiling point it can be used for measuring very high
temperatures.

Alcohol Thermometers
1. Alcohol is colourless, a red dye must therefore be added to make it visible.
2. If the thermometer is broken the alcohol is harmless.
3. Alcohol has a very low freezing point and therefore can be used for measuring low
temperatures.
4. The boiling point of alcohol is 78℃ therefore an alcohol thermometer is not useful for
measuring high temperatures.

Liquid-in-Glass Thermometers
1. These type of thermometers are used on the expansion of a liquid when heated.
2. The liquid reservoir is contained in a thin walled glass bulb.
3. The walls of the glass bulb should be thin. If it is too thick, then the thermometer will not
respond to changes in temperature. If the wall of the bulb is too thin, then the bulb will
break readily.
4. The amount of liquid in the reservoir should be a small amount since it will be warmed
up readily. A large reservoir therefore reduces the sensitivity of temperature changes.
5. The fine tube within the glass stem must be uniformed to give an even expansion of the
liquid.
6. The finer the tube the more sensitive is the thermometer. Since with this fine tube any
little expansion in the liquid is readily seen whereas in a large tube expansion is not
readily seen.
7. The narrow tube must be initially empty (evacuated). The presence of air trapped in the
tube will prevent the full expansion of the liquid when heated.
 PHYSICS
THERMOMETERS
FORM 5

To increase the sensitivity of the thermometer the following is required:

1. Thin walled, glass bulb
2. Narrow tube
3. Small quantity reservoir

Clinical Thermometer

A clinical thermometer is used to measure body temperature.

Usage of a Clinical Thermometer

A clinical thermometer has a very narrow constriction in the tube just above the bulb. When the
mercury expands it pushes past the constriction but when it is taken out of your mouth it does no
go back to the bulb and so the doctor can read your temperature.
The clinical thermometer is used to measure body temperature. It is a mercury thermometer for
the following reasons:
1. It is readily visible
2. Being a metal it conducts heat better and therefore responds readily to temperature
changes.
Just after the reservoir within the glass stem there is a tiny constriction. This constriction allows
the thermometer to be read at a later time. The bulb of the thermometer is placed in contact with
the person for one minute.
 PHYSICS
THERMOMETERS
FORM 5

The site of contact include:

1. Under the tongue (mouth)
2. Armpit
3. Rectum
After about one minute the thermometer is removed and read at eye level.
If the thermometer cannot be read it can be left alone and be read at another time. If the
thermometer is left on the table it will cool. The mercury will contract causing the mercury
column to break at the constriction site. The mercury column that remains in the glass stem
contracts minimally and when read, is roughly the same temperature.

Thermocouple
 PHYSICS
THERMOMETERS
FORM 5

If two different metals are joined in an electric circuit and one junction is at a different
temperature to the other junction, then an electric current is generated. The voltage of the electric
current increases as the temperature increases.
Thus, if one junction is kept at a constant low temperature, the other junction can function as a
probe to measure temperature.

Advantages of The Thermocouple

1. The wire junction can be very small and needs little heat to warm up. This means that it
responds quickly to temperature changes and it can be used to measure the temperature of
precise locations.
2. Since the output of this thermometer is an electric current, it means therefore that this
thermometer can be connected to other machines to have continuous monitoring of
temperature or warming signals can be created to indicate temperature changes.
3. Exceedingly high temperatures can be recorded by altering the type of metal used for A
and B.